Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-09-23
THE THEATER HoRe
What Caused the Crush i
Burned Theater Al e." "
England.
The Way Of Escape D.
by the Tieket.Tahass.'s'
Tin Boz
OF Nearly 200 Persons IN a.. .
Over nalf Lose Their s ''
Lives.
[Cable dispatch from, ,

to"olo ulspesen from Lon1on,
There are still many things to -
up yet before it can be MD.
how SO many score of people rs,.
Grated in the Royal Theater ' IL !
Although in the reports from ths
the calamity only one exit IN, ,ae So
lery is mentioned, the archite ION N u.
fee says that there were three VI ~
broad and palatial.' From the a. ~. Be
and most authentic reports NC ns sefy
reach here it is clear that , winch
victims were suffocated, and n many
death as has been stated. T ho' bun
victims still remains uncerta;n noq y
never be known absolutely. bnt q.
life is at least $50 and 4 1 ,as .ae
be as high as 200. Nine. ten4S hy p.
who persisted were occnn a.as OF
gallery, the others being from nI w. q
the upper boxes. Not quite fS ms 2
the victims persisted in the stai, ANY,
ing from the gallery to the strss, ',s y
means of exit open from thu osn y
was of stone with stone walls saas
iron railing running along on o a,.s J,
had four distinct turns and vs. y
spiral descent. The result was Nr
pie madly rushed down thew bes..
lessly damned and crushed at ss
In their frantic attempts to free H.,
the limbs of some appear to haysis
off, and in other cases fractured
bend or angle was found a pile of y
human remains. A high post ahoa
way down the winding passage WAS ss y
fatal obstruction to the free passage
terror-stricken crowd. But for the vi
in the staircase very few, indeed
have escaped. One Of these opened
q leaden roof and the other oyerlooIl
street. Several climbed out and lea
the ground, distance of fourteen }
we're rescued by fire escapes. Out /
persons known to have been in the d
very few escaped by the door. 81
aud indignation are expressed Nh
modern building there should hays|
but one exit from the gallery and |
such On unsatisfactory character.
The victims were mostly working \
Daylight revealed an appalling sill
shed Mt the back of the London Id
dead bodies were laid in rows oil
twenty each awaiting identification. d
tiocked to Guildhall as early as six \
for tickets to admit them to the yarll
for missing relatives and friends.
the melancholy work of viewing the
went on the police we're continually
ing in shapeless human remains.
grees the shed floors of adjoining
were filled with the mutilated trlnA
the limbs discovered as the work Of
proceeded were laid out on straw
open yard.
In only a very few cases can The
be identified by their countenaucs
one corner of the yard is o heap
bodies and burnt rags. The scenes
Enclosure were most narrowing.
tainted as they recognized b
familiar token their lost ones,
lamentations were heartrending
the last of the bodies brought in u
of a father. beneath whom was fou
child, only few weeks old. Thep
of the arms showed that the poor ND
doing his best to save the infant VII
fell. The bodies Of women are il
cases only to be distinguished By
wedding-rings. AS the search proc
it became only too evident that ttel
life was not confined to the gallery
pants. Lives were lost in the pit v
terrible crush took place, and int
per circle. Many charred bodies vd
covered from the gallery saloon and
circle saloon. The victims had apps
become blocked in rushing for th
comics.
The charred remains of twenty
sons we're discovered in one hea
mother, father, and child were
clasped in one embrace. Several
families numbering from two to d
their lives.
The number of persons severely !
is sixty, and it is feared that the del
will reach 14O.